ATU football coach interviews startedArkansas Tech University’s search for the next Wonder Boys football coach has gone from 152 applicants to a short list that includes three who have been interviewed on campus this week. Steve Mullins, athletic director and former head football coach, confirmed Wednesday three of the candidates who visited Russellville this week are Bo Atterberry, head coach at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville; David Brown, head coach at Missouri University ...

Arkansas State hires former Texas OC Bryan Harsin JONESBORO (AP) — Former Texas co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin hopes to bring some stability to Arkansas State as its new coach. Harsin was introduced as the new coach of the Red Wolves on Wednesday — one day after he agreed to leave the Longhorns and replace former Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn. The former Boise State assistant coach becomes the third head coach in as many years for the two-time Sun Belt Conference champion Red Wolves...

Bielema hires Ash as defensive coordinator FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Wisconsin defensive coordinator Chris Ash will follow former Badgers coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas. The Razorbacks announced Ash's hiring on Tuesday, Bielema's first of an assistant coach since being hired last week at Arkansas after seven seasons at Wisconsin. Ash worked under Bielema with the Badgers for the last three seasons, including the last two as co-defensive coordinator. He'll remain with the team through i...

UCA signs with sports management company CONWAY, Ark. (AP) - The Athletic Department at the University of Central Arkansas has signed a deal with a sports management company that's worth $3.3 million. The deal announced Tuesday is with Peak Sports MGMT, which will sell corporate sponsorships and work to give UCA sports a greater presence in the region. UCA says the deal is for five years with three one-year renewal options. The pact includes a provision for revenue sharing once certa...

WKU hires Petrino as football coachBOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Now that Bobby Petrino is back in the coaching ranks, he wants to make the most of his second chance. Petrino was introduced Monday as Western Kentucky's new head football coach. The 51-year-old was fired by Arkansas in April for a "pattern of misleading" behavior following an accident in which the coach was injured while riding a motorcycle with his mistress as a passenger. "At this point in my career, it's about get...

Wonder Boys grind out road win at East CentralADA, Okla. — Arkansas Tech turned to a different style of play to stop its two-game men’s basketball losing streak on Saturday, and it worked. The Wonder Boys (3-4 overall, 2-1 Great American Conference) used what head coach Doug Karleskint described as a “ground and pound” style to earn a 60-44 league win over the East Central University Tigers at the Kerr Activities Center. “We used a philosophy today that we haven’t used before,” Karleskint...

Manziel is first freshman Heisman Trophy winner NEW YORK (AP) — Johnny Football just got himself a way cooler nickname: Johnny Heisman. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, taking college football’s top individual prize Saturday night after a record-breaking debut. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o finished a distant second and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein was third in the voting. In a Heisman race with two nontraditional candidat...

Arkansas State names interim coach for bowl game JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas State says defensive coordinator John Thompson will serve as interim coach for the Red Wolves as they prepare to play No. 25 Kent State in the GoDaddy.com bowl next month. Thompson takes over for Gus Malzahn, who's leaving Arkansas State for Auburn after one season. Malzahn led the Red Wolves to a 9-3 record and a Sun Belt Conference championship. Athletic director Terry Mohajir says it's best for Arkansas State...

138 apply for ATU head football coach vacancyWhen Arkansas Tech University athletic director Steve Mullins resigned as football coach on Nov. 15, he said the job would be much more attractive than when he came to Russellville in 1997. Tuesday — the same day the University of Arkansas announced its new head coach and Arkansas State surprisingly began a search for its next football coach — Arkansas Tech’s search committee was in the process of reviewing 138 applications for the Wonder Boys...

Bielema excited for challenge of SEC at ArkansasFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Bret Bielema watched from afar in April as Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long handled the difficult circumstances surrounding Bobby Petrino's firing, liking what he saw so much that he wrote Long a letter of support a few months later. Bielema also liked what he heard from Long earlier this week during a clandestine meeting in New York, eventually agreeing to become the Razorbacks' long-term replacement for the scan...

Bielema gets $3.2M per year at Arkansas FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Bret Bielema will be paid $3.2 million annually for six years at Arkansas, the school said Wednesday as it prepared to introduce its new football coach. Arkansas released its signed letter of agreement with Bielema, which includes another $700,000 in annual incentives. Arkansas will also pay its new coach's $1 million buyout to Wisconsin. It was not immediately known whether Bielema would coach Wisconsin in the Rose B...

5 from Ark. St. named 1st team All-Sun Belt JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin has been named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year. The conference announced Wednesday that Aplin was selected in voting by conference coaches and members of the media after he led ASU to its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title. The Red Wolves finished the season 9-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play and will play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. ASU...

Auburn hires Malzahn away from ASUAUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn has turned to Gus Malzahn to restore a program that made an unprecedented fall two years after winning a national title with Cam Newton operating his high-powered offense to perfection. The school announced that it will introduce the former Arkansas State coach in a news conference Tuesday night. Malzahn was the Tigers' offensive coordinator during their 2010 national championship run before heading to Arkansas State...

Bielema to ArkansasFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has agreed to become the new coach at Arkansas, taking over a program that stumbled from scandal into an awful season that had begun with hopes of challenging for a national championship. Bielema has agreed to a deal between 5-7 years with the Razorbacks, according to a person familiar with the situation, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports. The person, who spoke only on condition of anonym...

Rick Majerus, college basketball coach, dies ST. LOUIS (AP) — At Rick Majerus’ final stop, the lone concession to the coach’s health woes were the footstools stationed at each corner of the practice court. Close by anytime he needed a breather. Close enough, too, to jump up for some hands-on assistance with the proper stance or to lead a quick walkthrough. The jovial, basketball-obsessed coach who led Utah to the 1998 NCAA final and had only one losing season in 25 years with four school...

ATU Fishing Club tournament starts SaturdayArkansas Tech University's Fishing Club will host its last qualifying tournament of the fall semester today on Lake Dardanelle State Park. Weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. at the park's weigh-in pavilion. ATU anglers fish in qualifying tournaments and gain points toward angler of the year standings. The club, which started in 2006 with seven members, welcomed 28 new members who joined 22 anglers this semester. Arkansas Tech's Fishing Club was rec...

Wonder Boys fall to Missouri SouthernTyler Friedel scored 12 points with six rebounds, Jared Williamson added 10 points, and Will Paul scored nine points and added six rebounds as the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys fell 58-50 to Missouri Southern in a non-conference game Saturday inside Tucker Coliseum. ATU (2-3) jumped to a quick 8-2 lead at the 15:50 mark in the first half on a layup from by Bobby Hatchett. Missouri Southern (4-3) then went on a 7-2 run to come back to within one po...

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ATU Sports InformationThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

ATU basketball teams sweep Southern NazareneJessica Weatherford scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns to an 81-61 Great American Conference win over the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm Thursday night inside Tucker Coliseum. Weatherford was 12-of-20 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line as the Golden Suns (2-2 overall, 1-0 GAC) remained undefeated at home this season. ATU led 45-38 at halftime and pulled away with a 15-4...

Arkansas falls short against No. 6 Syracuse FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Arkansas had answers for nearly everything Syracuse had to offer on Friday night. That is, everything except for a career game from senior James Southerland — who had 35 points to lead the No. 6 Orange to a 91-82 win over the Razorbacks. The loss was the third straight for Arkansas (3-3), following setbacks against Arizona State and Wisconsin in last week’s Las Vegas Invitational. The Razorbacks’ difficult early stretch con...